Sense of smell as an experiential reinforcement: qualitative approximation in the field of tourism marketing

Abstract

The tourist industry, which is key to the economic development of a country such as Spain with its service-driven economy, has characteristically been an area in which customer satisfaction has been sought in order to encourage loyalty. The tourism product is fundamentally intangible as in most cases it is based on experiences and sensations. For this reason, the application of the latest techniques in experiential and sensory marketing are key when building loyalty in consumers who it has been proved react based on emotions rather than reasoning. Of all the senses which create experiences and memorable sensations, perhaps our sense of smell is the most important and the one which is least taken into account. The latest research in sensory marketing finds that our sense of smell is responsible for an increased sensory enjoyment and is a great help for our memory. The tourist industry is starting to appeal to this sense with more or less conscious and planned strategies. Qualitative research has been conducted, specifically an exploratory and descriptive study, based on in depth interviews with guest experience managers at 14 hotels in order to analyze the effects caused by using aromas with clients and the perception of the brand. This investigation attempts to shed some light on how the hotel industry is making use of scent marketing in order to fulfil its objectives of competitive differentiation and as a result, customer satisfaction and loyalty.